Return.

Chapter 1

[location: Mia’s castle lounge]

That day, I was visiting Mia’s castle in the North with the wizards. 

As I was reclining on a sofa, Mitile came running up to me.

Mitile: Master Sage! Would you like to come tour the castle with me?

Mitile: I just got permission from Ms. Mia!

Akira: Directly from Mia?

Mitile: Yep! You don’t often get a chance to see a wizard’s castle up close, so I decided to take the dive and ask if it was okay.

Mitile: And then she said “Mitile, since it’s your wish, I’ll grant it”...!

Akira: That’s great! Since our introduction to Ms. Mia was a little rough, I was worried it would be difficult to get along with her.

Mitile: Yeah… But she talks to me politely, and doesn’t look down on me just because I’m a Southern wizard.

Mitile: Ms. Mia must be a kinder woman than I thought.

Akira: I think so, too.

Akira: Aside from that, though, she does seem to like you quite a lot, Mitile.

Akira: Something about you must be especially endearing to Northern wizards.

Mitile: Huh?! D-Do you really think so?

Mitile’s eyes lit up. Even though he probably didn’t want to be happy about that, it seems that he was at least a little pleased.

Mitile: Anyways, if you want to join me to explore the castle, Ms. Mia told me to take in everything I want to see before she changes her mind.

Mitile: So we should go quickly!

[location: Mia’s castle hall]

Akira: There are a lot of taxidermied animals in this room. Woah, this is a huge monster…

Mitile: The fangs are amazing, but the fur is really soft… really cool!

Akira: There are also brightly-colored birds, and pristine bone specimens… Did Ms. Mia catch all these creatures herself?

Mitile: I’m sure she did. Apparently, Ms. Mia is a really strong witch.

Mitile: I hope one day I can be strong enough to hunt animals this big.

Mitile: Then I’d be able to make cool displays like this… Ah, look! That entire wall is sparkling!

Akira: It really is shiny! I wonder if there are gemstones embedded in it…?

Mitile: The preserved animals and specimens are all colorful and eye-catching. Ms. Mia must really like this kind of thing.

As we continued to explore the expansive castle, we eventually came across a large door. In contrast with everything else, it was painted in all black, and seemed strangely solemn. 

Mitile: This door is kind of intimidating, huh…

Akira: Y-yes, it definitely has a different atmosphere…

Mitile: Ms. Mia said that we could go into any rooms that were unlocked.

Mitile: So, I guess I’ll see if the door is open!

Akira: Wait, Mitile –

Mitile ran up to the door, and just as his fingers touched the handle…

Chapter 2

???: Hey.

Mitile + Akira: Wah!?!

A voice spoke up right behind us, and we both spun around.

As if appearing out of nowhere, there stood the smiling figure of Figaro.

Figaro: Hi, you two. Did I startle you?

Akira: Figaro…!

Mitile: Hey!! Don’t scare us like that again!!

Figaro: My bad, my bad. But I thought I’d tell you that that door is locked.

Figaro: I got curious, too, but when I tried to open it, Mia got su~uper mad at me.

Mitile: Aw, really…

Akira: I suppose if it’s locked, she probably keeps important things in there.

Figaro: Probably. More importantly, since Mia reprimanded me about this in particular - do you two have permission to be poking around like this?

Figaro: A Northern witch wouldn’t just let any strange wizard wander freely around her castle, unless you managed to really charm her.

Mitile: I guess so… Ms. Mia just granted my selfish request, that’s all.

Mitile: Not only is she powerful, but she’s also kind…!

Figaro: Ahaha. I bet it was that exact lively innocence that won her over.

Figaro: Oh, that’s right. There was an open door just around the corner over there - the room was packed with potted plants and saplings.

Akira: Is it that room? Now that you mention it, I don’t think we went in that one yet.

Figaro: You should go check it out. There’s probably a lot of rare Northern plants in there that you wouldn’t find in the South.

Mitile: That sounds very interesting! I bet Riquet and my brother would be happy to hear all about cool new plants…!

Mitile: Master Sage, let’s go!

Akira: Yes!

Figaro: …Hah.

Just as I was about to follow behind Mitile, I heard a small sigh.

Akira: Erm… Figaro, is something wrong?

Figaro: Well, I was snooping around the castle a bit, but it’s not like Mia noticed or caught me.

Figaro: While I was looking around, I peeked into this room, and… Well, Mia sure is a Northern witch, I’ll tell you that much…

Figaro: Basically, I was worried that if you and Mitile saw what was in there, you might end up traumatized.

Akira: Really……?!

Akira: (What kind of room is behind that door…?!)

Akira: So that’s why you stopped us from opening the door… We should probably be more careful when exploring a Northern witch’s castle…

Mitile: Um, Master Sage? Did Dr. Figaro need something?

Figaro: Oh, sorry, Mitile. Silly ol’ Dr. Figaro was holding you up.

Figaro: Well, I’ll be here if you need anything. You two have fun exploring.

Chapter 3

Akira: That room was really incredible - there were so many strange flowers and trees!

Mitile: Yeah! There were all kinds of plants I’ve never seen before. Flowers that changed colors when I touched them, and trees whose branches grew or shrank…

We spent a long time exploring the castle, delighted by its size and luxury.

Mitile: Everything about Ms. Mia’s castle has such a dignified, mature atmosphere.

Mitile: It must have taken a lot of time and care to create it exactly how she likes it…

Akira: Do you think you’d ever want to have a castle like this, Mitile?

Mitile: To be honest… yes, I would.

Mitile: For example… After I’ve grown up and gotten stronger, I could use my magic to build a huge, magnificent, cool castle to live in. 

Mitile: I could hunt monsters on my own, and when danger approaches, I’d be able to defend myself…

Akira: ……Like a Northern wizard, you mean?

When he heard that, Mitile hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Mitile: …Yeah, I guess so. I might not completely understand the pride that Northern wizards hold, but…

Mitile: It’s really cool to see someone fight with their whole heart, proud of their strength and way of life.

Mitile: I still don’t like selfishness or violence, but there is a part of me that wants to be like them.

Mitile, who once spoke of Northern wizards with absolute hatred, now used words of respect and admiration.

The variety of new experiences he has accumulated as a Sage’s Wizard have probably, little by little, brought about a change in his values.

Akira: (...I wonder what kind of wizard Mitile will become in the future.)

Akira: (Like his new dreams of having a castle, there’s a possibility that Mitile will grow up to be a different person than who he is now…)

I’m happy to see Mitile change as he learns and grows each day. But it’s still a little sad.

Mitile: ……But I do think being all alone in a big castle would get lonely.

Mitile: That’s why I want guests to come visit me sometimes. Riquet, my brother, Dr. Figaro, and Mr. Leno. And, of course, Master Sage. 

Mitile: I’ll invite everyone to my castle, and throw a party, like…

Mitile made a serious face and cleared his throat.

Mitile: A-hem. Go ahead, everyone, have all the food you want. It’s all meat from deer and rabbits I hunted. 

Mitile: As you can see, I have tons of fancy furs. It’s cold up here in the North, so please feel free to use them to keep warm.

Mitile picked up a fur blanket that was draped over the sofa in one hand, and tossed it roughly over my shoulders.

Mitile: …Ehehe. I was trying to imitate Mr. Bradley and Mr. Mithra a bit to make myself look cooler.

Mitile: Did it work?

Mitile asked for my thoughts, his haughty, mature expression returning back to that of a young boy. A shy smile spread across his face.

Akira: It was really good!

Akira: I can really see the wild and mature atmosphere that’s different than usual, but you still have the kindness of a Southern wizard offering hospitality…!

Mitile: Yay! I’m glad you liked it, Master Sage!

Mitile: I still don’t know exactly what kind of person I want to be, or what kind of wizard, but…

Mitile: No matter what, I’ll do my best to become exactly who I want to be!